Prop or drop: A proposition cheatsheet

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With all of the Election Day excitement, state and local government is often overlooked. This historical presidential race may have distracted most from community issues throughout Arizona, but The Lumberjack is here to update you on the results of the propositions.

Proposition 410: Increase funding for Coconino Community College programs (Local) — Defeated

Proposition 410 proposed the addition of $1 to Coconino County District property owners’ taxes for the funding of Coconino Community College (CCC). Starting in 2019 and ending in 2026, the supplementation was predicted to provide CCC with an annual income of $3 million throughout its allotted implementation.

As of 10:31 p.m., the unofficial final election summary report revealed that Proposition 410 did not pass after 53.20 percent of voters had voted against creating a tax to fund CCC.

Proposition 411: Transit Tax (Local) — Passed

Proposition 411 asks voters to continue a 0.295 percent city sales tax in order to pay for constructing, improving and maintaining the city’s public transit system until 2030.

As of 10:31 p.m., the unofficial final election summary report revealed that Proposition 411 passed after 71.35 percent of voters had voted in favor of the public transit tax.

Proposition 412: Municipal Court Bond Issue (Local) — Passed

Proposition 412 seeks the approval of $12 million in city bond money. The bond would be used for the construction of a new municipal court building in cooperation with the state and the county. The construction will also include a minimum 200-car parking garage. This bond would be paid for through the extension of a secondary property tax that would stay at its current rate — there will be no raise in city taxes.

As of 10:31 p.m., the unofficial final election summary report revealed that Proposition 412 passed after 52.39 percent of voters had voted in favor of the approval of $12 million in city bonds.

Proposition 413: Greater Buffalo Park (Local) — Passed

Proposition 413 would protect an estimated 253 acres of city-owned property on McMillan Mesa and approximately 47 acres of city-owned property just south of Buffalo Park. The proposition would prevent the city from using the land in a way that might disrupt its current natural state. The proposition does allow 10 acres of the land on McMillan Mesa to be used for the creation of a veterans’ services facility.

As of 10:31 p.m., the unofficial final election summary report revealed that Proposition 413 passed after 86.98 percent of voters had voted in favor of making Buffalo Park a public piece of land.

Proposition 414: Flagstaff Minimum Wage Initiative (Local) — Passed

Proposition 414 is a local initiative that will raise the minimum wage in Flagstaff from $8.05 an hour — Arizona’s current minimum wage — to $10 an hour by July 1, 2017, and then to $15 an hour by Jan. 1, 2021. This also keeps the Flagstaff minimum wage $2 above the state minimum wage.

As of 10:31 p.m., the unofficial final election summary report revealed that Proposition 414 passed after 53.26 percent of voters had voted in favor of the City of Flagstaff raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour.

Proposition 205: Arizona Marijuana Legalization (State) — Defeated

Proposition 205 seeked to legalize the use of recreational marijuana in the state of Arizona by any individual who is at least 21 years of age. It would have established a Department of Marijuana License and Control that would regulate the new market including “the cultivation, manufacturing, testing, transportation and sale of marijuana,” according to the ballot summary. The retail sale of the drug would have a 15 percent tax and all the tax revenues would fund education as well as campaigns to educate the public about the “relative harms of alcohol, marijuana and other substances.”

As of 11:30 p.m., the unofficial final election summary report revealed that Proposition 205 did not pass after 52.23 percent of voters had voted against the statewide legalization of recreational marijuana.

Proposition 206: Statewide Minimum Wage ­— Passed

Proposition 206 raises Arizona’s statewide minimum wage from $8.05 an hour to $12. This proposition will increase the state’s minimum hourly pay at a staggered rate over a period of three years, starting as $10 in 2017. Beginning in 2021, voters will see it increase even further as it adjusts to the new cost of living in Arizona. Owners of businesses where employees receive tips retain the authority to lower hourly pay by a maximum of $3.

As of 11:30 p.m., the unofficial final election summary report showed that Proposition 206 passed after 59.38 percent of voters had voted in favor of raising the minimum wage to $12 across the state of Arizona.

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